Two hemp legalization bills introduced in California

Two bills have been introduced in California to nullify unconstitutional federal laws by legalizing hemp, the industrial companion to the conscious-altering plant marijuana. Thomas Jefferson would be proud that his pastime of hemp farming, criminalized by the federal government since 1970, is being revived by 16 state legislatures this year.

California’s Assembly Bill 1137 from Asm. Allan Mansoor and Senate Bill 566 from Sen. Mark Leno make an exception for industrial hemp under the legal definition of “marijuana.” They stipulate a .03% THC potency limit, about 1/50 of the amount found in medical marijuana. Both bills cite these economic facts surrounding the issue:

(d) According to a study commissioned by the Hemp Industries Association, sales of industrial hemp products in the United States have grown steadily since 1990 to more than two hundred fifty million dollars ($250,000,000) in 2005, increasing at a rate of approximately twenty‑six million dollars ($26,000,000) per year.

(e) California manufacturers of hemp products currently import from around the world tens of thousands of acres’ worth of hemp seed, oil, and fiber products that could be produced by California farmers at a more competitive price, and the intermediate processing of hemp seed, oil, and fiber could create jobs in close proximity to the fields of cultivation.

The federal Controlled Substance Act included hemp as a Schedule I drug in 1970. The feds consider growing it without a DEA issued permit a crime. The feds have only issued one such permit, to Hawaii, back in 1999. It has since expired. This has created a de-fact federal ban on growing the plant. And as a result, the United States is the world’s #1 importer of hemp, while China and Canada are the top 2 exporters. Some supporters say that nullifying this federal ban would be a huge win for jobs, for American farmers, and for the economy.

AB1137 seeks to nullify the unconstitutional federal ban on the production hemp. The federal government lacks the constitutional authority to regulate the production of hemp, or any agricultural product, within a state’s borders, and AB1137 rests on solid ground.

HEMP OVERVIEW AND USE

Industrial hemp is not marijuana, but an industrial agricultural product used for a wide variety of purposes, including the manufacture of cordage of varying tensile strength, durable clothing and nutritional products. During World War II, the United States military relied heavily on hemp products, which resulted in the famous campaign and government-produced film, “Hemp for Victory!”

Even though soil, climate and agricultural capabilities could make the United States a massive producer of industrial hemp, today no hemp is grown for public sale, use and consumption within the United States. China is the world’s greatest producer and the United States is the #1 importer of hemp and hemp products in the world.

Since the enactment of the unconstitutional federal controlled-substances act in 1970, the Drug Enforcement Agency has prevented the production of hemp within the United States. Many hemp supporters feel that the DEA has been used as an “attack dog” of sorts to prevent competition with major industries where American-grown hemp products would create serious market competition: Cotton, Paper/Lumber, Oil, and others.

Assembly Bill 1137 was referred to Public Safety Committee as well as the Agriculture Committee on March 7. They’re each expected to vote on or after March 26. Senate Bill 566 is set to be voted on in the Rules Committee on or after March 25. All Californians are urged to contact those members by phone and urge a Yes vote and a cosponsorship for when the bills reach their respective floors.

LEGISLATION AND TRACKING

If you live anywhere outside of California, please contact your state Senator and urge them to introduce the Hemp Freedom Act. You can find model legislation HERE.

Track the status of the Hemp Freedom Act in states around the country HERE

Now the question people should be asking themselves i, selfless, philanthropic ways. Would it be a stretch to ponder if this were not just another tool to dumb us down and make us more complacent, such as adding fluoride to the water as the Nazi’s did in their concentration camps as just one example. Just a thought…..

I suggest we all keep our eyes out for legal products out there that contain hemp. Begin with Dr. Bronner’s Soaps. They come in liquid and bars. I prefer the latter, but Sprouts, Whole Foods, and CVS Pharmacy all carry it. They contain organic hemp oil. Best soap I’ve ever used! Tell your friends. This helps to de-mystify hemp, and as the public realizes that its something positive and good, this will help to bring it out in the open.

This is actually smart. For those who don’t know, Hemp is useless as a recreational drug. It has 25,000 uses and would create tens of thousands of jobs. It has a negative carbon footprint and is more land efficient than trees. Used as a fuel, hemp would lower gas prices to about 60 cents a gallon minus state and federal taxes which would lower transportation costs. This translates into every product we buy being lowered in price since that cost is passed on to the consumer. This would also generate $500 billion dollars in revenue for the government if every state followed California on this law.

In fact, once people figure out it’s NOT pot, maybe this could be the ideal issue to start nullification on….when anyone knows the simple (not controversial) facts, there’s almost no way anyone would want to vote against it….It could be the perfect “starter” on getting the general public used to the idea that nullification is a GOOD THING.

WTF?!?!?! The only reason they do this is so hopefully everyone will be so stoned that they don’t care that they loose all their other rights. Ass backwards state. Wish it would fall off into the Pacific.

but I also know that hemp can be used for other useful items…you can pretty much use anything. and cotton and corn are being overused and getting very expensive. hemp is known to be easier and hardier to grow. it is economicly cheaper too.

All of those things are important but so is legalizing hemp farming that should never have been outlawed – not even on the false grounds of classifying cannabis as a dangerous drug (it isn’t) should farming of industrial hemp have ever been outlawed. It’s a different strain of hemp that does not have affect on the brain or body but is very useful for making textiles, paper, ropes, other fibers, cleansers, industrial solvents, and many other uses including the edible nutricious hemp seed. It also produces four times the yield of cotton from the same amount of acreage. The cannabis that does affect the brain and body has numerous bona fide medicinal uses so that should not be outlawed either. The outlawing of both types of hemp benefits big business, namely the pharmaceutical companies who peddle us toxic prescription drugs instead (if the short term side effects don’t kill you, the long term ones will!) and the chemical companies that produce synthetic fibers and textiles as well as toxic cleansers and solvents.

And think of it this way – EVERY time someone you don’t normally align with nullifies something that’s not on your radar, it jut makes the process more mainstream and easier to accomplish on your own important issues.

HEMP = JOBS and hemp uptakes 5X more C02 than naturally occurs in nature, more than full grown trees and they are an annual plant so we could grow hemp create jobs and clean the air 5X more than we are now.

Like when you register republican to vote in the primary. And they give you a non partisan ballot so you can’t vote in the primary. I was LIVID! Bitch on the phone knew exactly what they did. She even chuckled when I asked about it.

Get rid of the electronic voting! Well, I guess just if you want a fair election. How many of you heard about Prop 37! It passed. Voter fraud anyone! How do you think that bitch feinstein keeps getting re elected. I don’t know anyone that likes her

Jason, Hemp is not Pot, Marijuana and Hemp are cousins but you would have to smoke a bale of hemp to get even the slightest high. You would die of smoke inhalation before you got high. Hemp is a useful fiber that can make tons of products from clothes to plastics etc.

James your a fool. Hemp is the stalk of the plant. Its purpose is not to get High. But to produce oils,lamps clothing. It happens during times of war. Wth does hemp being legal have to do with marajuanna.they are two seperate things. So your statements are really very stupid